Introductory Old English

Catalog description

An introduction to the Old English language and literature as well as the culture of England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. Students learn the grammar and vocabulary of this earliest surviving form of English, while being introduced to topics such as the heroic code; conversion and cultural syncretism; the rise of English national identity; monasticism and spirituality; the law and customs of the Anglo-Saxons; the Viking invasions and the Norman Conquest; and hybridity and multilingualism. Concludes with reading excerpts from Beowulf in the original and orally performing scenes from the poem.